Algonquin cidery proposal withdrawn

ALGONQUIN – Developers of a proposed restaurant and cidery on River Road have pulled their application and put the project on hold, village officials said.

After not receiving a recommendation from the village’s Planning and Zoning Commission, petitioners Marla Boender and Loren Boender, a mother and son, have begun looking for a new location for their proposed Oktober Wolfe Cidery and Wolfe Restaurant.

The Boenders wanted to put an 8,100-square-foot restaurant and a 16,000-square-foot cidery on three acres at 120, 207 and 299 N. River Road.

Village Senior Planner Katie Parkhurst said the Boenders withdrew their application Friday because the costs of the project would be too expensive at the location.

“The village is hopeful they would still consider a site in Algonquin,” Parkhurst said.
The restaurant portion was slated to be on property on the west side of River Road, next to the Fox River, on land zoned for commercial use. The eastern portion of the proposed location, which is zoned for residential use, was planned for the cidery.

Parkhurst said there is no timeline for when the Boenders would come back with a new application.

Members of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District and Algonquin Police Department had expressed concerns about the traffic along River Road the project would possibly create.

The police department also had concerns about the noise that would come from the businesses, especially in the predominantly residential area.

Village Board members originally were scheduled to consider the Boenders’ petition at its meeting Tuesday.